IGBO TRADOCULTURAL VERSUS CHRISTIAN MARRIAGE PROCESSES: TOWARDS INCULTURATION

Abstract

Igbo Traditional and Christian marriage rites exist as two distinct ceremonies in African/Igbo society. The two ceremonies appear to be some sort of duplication or multiplication of rite. This paper seeks a way to blending the two ceremonies together as one, more so because the Church has always implicitly recognized matrimonial institution as a cultural product. The answer to the above question is located in the whole issue of inculturation; a process that successfully flourished in the Western civilization and consequently influenced the teaching of the Church on marriage. The answer to our question seeks to establish a marriage rite where couples will genuinely experience the happy marriage between culture and Church; a marriage rite that will fulfill both the traditional and Christian demands. As a qualitative research, the researchers adopted the primary and secondary sources of data collection and culture area approach for data analysis. The study recommends an integration of Igbo traditional and Christian religious beliefs into marriage processes through mutual dialogue of synthesis and hybridization of the good elements of each of the culture rather than using extreme acts of mutual extinction.